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Saturday, 8 October 2011

the 'cobogó house', a single family residence designed by são paulo-based architect marcio kogan of studio MK27 has beennominated for an award in the house category for this year's world architecture festival. at entry level, a series of perimeterglass doors can be opened to provide a permeable boundary to access the adjacent enclosed courtyard garden. an outdoorveranda with elevated views of the sculpted lake and trees wraps around a facade formed with a continuous and modularinterwoven brise-soleil. the organic loops of the high-gloss white material generates a series of penetrations allowing a dappledlighting quality to filter into and naturally illuminate the second floor corridor.

the crisp plaster exterior is contrasted with rectangular bands of vertical wooden planks which visually continue to the groundplane to form the surrounding garden fence. a pervious mesh screen parallel the structure's outer wall may be slid along a trackand closed to protect the interior spaces from the strong afternoon sunlight. at night, the patterned elevation creates the effectof a glowing jewel box when illuminated by the inner bedroom's ambient lighting.

following up on our previous coverage of the project, chinese architects atelier 11
has sent us images of the competed 'china national tennis center' in beijing, china.
otherwise known as the 'diamond arena', the project features 16 sets of v-shaped
columns that are used to form the overall structure and motif of the center.

exterior view

seeking to eliminate unneeded ornamentation, the design extracts visual elements
out of the structure to create a simplistic triangular pattern. the concrete body lends
the architecture a solid volume that maintains a strong sense of identity on the site.
able to seat 15,000 audience with its state-of-art facilities, the grandstand sits under
a collapsible steel roof which can open up to a span of 60m by 70m. in addition to
the seating rows spread around the stadium, two floors of glass boxes are situated
around the bottom part of the grandstand. the seventh floor features an open space
that wraps around the whole perimeter of the stadium, providing a 360 degree view of
the adjacent olympic park.

for photographs of the stadium under construction, and to see physical models and
technical drawings, click here for our previous coverage of the project.

Thursday, 6 October 2011

internationally practicing london-based firm foster + partners has revealed the design for the 'kuwait international airport',an air hub for the gulf region located in kuwait. the trefoil plan will accommodate the projected increased influx oftransient visitors, growing from an initial 13 million individuals to over 25 million per year with future developmentand eventually accommodating 50 million annual travelers. the state-of-the-art terminal building intends to provideultimate comfort despite its positioning within the arid desert amidst one of the hottest habitable climates on earth.gates extend from a 25 meter high central atrium and are distributed between three symmetrical wings which reacha span of 1.2 kilometers. the linear arrangement contains three levels programmed for arrivals, departures and baggageclaim with minimal vertical changes produces a user friendly organization.

the generated entry sequence is aligned with the hospitality practices of the culture providing an elegant arrivalbordered with cascading pools of water. a surrounding oasis landscape provides a refreshing micro environmentwhile native plants acclimated to the dry weather were chosen to encompass the complex. a continuous singularroof is punctured with glazed openings to introduce natural daylight while blocking excessive solar radiation andencouraging simplified wayfinding. reminiscent of the organic form of the area's traditional dhow sailing boats,tapering concrete columns support the projecting perimeter canopy to shade a spacious outdoor entrance plaza.the material pervades the building's structure to serve as an insulating thermal mass while large expanses ofphotovoltaic panels will harvest energy.

'the scale of the airport shows kuwait’s great foresight in recognising the benefits of strategic investment infuture infrastructure. the environmental ambitions driving the project are equally impressive. we are pleasedto have this opportunity to reveal our designs. the emblematic three-winged form will be as memorablefrom the air as from the ground – a new symbol of contemporary kuwait, which resonates with its richculture and history.' - mouzhan majidi, chief executive of foster + partners